A Very Potter Fanfic
by CoolShoesChick
Summary: 19 years may have passed since Harry's scar has burned, but there maybe a new kid on the block. Annette,a girl who seems a little on the average side, has to figure out what secret everyone has been keeping from her, and maybe even find love...?  2nd Gen
1. A Little Bit Before Our Story Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, minus Annette (my little OC). All rights go J.K. Rowling, that wonderful author we all know and love!:)

Strong winds terrorized the shores of an eerie beach. An increasingly horrid downpour made the fine sand of the beach a theoretically impassable wasteland. Long grasses fought their way out of the sludge like sand. Yet, a pair of delicate, bare, dainty feet danced across the sand's top surface.

A young girl, around eight years old, let her ash brown hair soak in the in monsoon reminiscent weather, lines of water streaming down her pigtails equally. She has porcelain skin that shines with water droplets that graze her petite form. Her deep green eyes darted, around attempting to see what was in front of them, and her face wrinkled up with a giant grin plastered on it. She hummed a tuneless melody as she leaped, skipped, and hopped through the treacherous landscape. She wore a leather backpack that got thoroughly soaked, but the opening was sealed so tight, the contents stayed nice and dry.

She arrived at the foot of a cliff, whose edge extends to cover a large patch of the beach. Her grin dipped down into a simple smile as she walked underneath its cover. She shaked off the rain, similar to that of a dog after receiving a bath, and settled down in the driest area of the coverage. She looked around for a second and then dumped the contents of her bag onto the dry sand. It appeared to be only a small loaf of bread, a couple of thick, round stones, and what seemed to be a small collection of sticks. Though the rest of the sticks appeared to be nothing special, one stick stood out, with detailed carvings,and was about a foot long.

The little girl set up a few of her twigs in a pyramid form, and surrounded it by her stones. She turned and plucked a handful of thoroughly soaked grass,and tucked it neatly under the sticks, along with some other broken pieces of thin wood for kindling. She carefully picked up the decorated piece of wood and pointed it at the center of the little structure, and whispered something intangible.

Suddenly, sparks flew from the tip of the stick and set the rest of the wood ablaze. She tucked her instrument back into her backpack for safety and took the loaf and stuck it onto the end of one remaining broken tree branch and slowly began to roast the bread over the open fire.

Sadly, the peaceful retreat from the rain was almost immediately ended by the sound of a faint _pop!_ in the distance. Before the little eight year old girl could realize what was about to happen, an evil form, adorned in pink fabric, loomed over her.


	2. Oh the Back Story

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, minus Annette (my little OC). All rights go J.K. Rowling, that wonderful author we all know and love!:)

Just a mere 3 years later, the little eight year old who played in the rain is now an intelligent 1st year student at the prestigious academy known as Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. The evil person that had appeared before her was her horrendous "Aunt Dolores", who she was thankfully not related to by blood, but by the legal binding guardianship known as godmother/daughter. The little girl, who proudly calls herself 'Annette the Brave and Wonderful' in the privacy of her mind, had almost succeeded in running away from Aunt Dolores grasp, when she was caught half-way to her new home with the Weasleys.

Annette had met Rose Weasley and her family a few times before, when her parents were still alive. They had become friends fairly quickly and wrote to each other regularly. She had informed Rose about so much of her life, that Rose was the only person who knew that her father had been an auror when he was killed by a former death eater on the run and that her mother remarried.

Also, Rose knew that Annette's new step-father had decided to make his favorite aunt have custody over Annette if they both died, and she still hates him to that day for doing so, because not a month after the edit to the will was made, they both died from blunt force trauma caused by a car accident.

During Annette's months with Dolores, she could only think of escape, which was a detail that she didn't spare Rose of. Not long after the first letter to Rose, containing details of something utterly nasty Umbridge had done, was sent, Annette soon received this letter:

Dear Annette,

My daughter has informed me that you're staying with someone who is, to say the least, a troll. If you wish to stay with our family for the summer and beyond, please let us know ASAP. We'll be awaiting your owl.

Sincerely,

Hermione Weasley

That alone let Annette know there is a God, despite the her initial disbelief that Hermione, a woman of great intelligence, would write something so simple. She had leaped with joy and decided that no amount of time was worth waiting to leave behind Dolores and that she should go now, even if there's a monsoon starting to begin right outside her window.

With letter in hand, she began to stuff a random assortment of necessities into her leather pouch. With a bag full of snacks to eat on the way, a compass on a necklace she had found on the ground, a towel for the rain, and a map, she was ready to go. But she stopped, and looked at the compass that swung around her neck. She knew she'd get lost if she didn't bewitch it, as well as the map... She decided that she didn't have anything to lose, even if she got caught by Dolores.

She slowly slid down the narrow hallway of the cat-plate infested cottage Dolores called "Home". The pastel pink walls made Annette want gag, but she held her breathe as she turned the corner, and entered an open doorway to a currently empty office.

The decor was as awful and uncomfortable as it was ugly. More cat-plates stared for Umbridge in her absence. It looked as if they were on guard, but Annette had been in Umbridge's office so many times before for whatever task or back-breaking chore Dolores demanded be done, that she was just simply, old news.

Annette spotted the wand that had cursed her childhood for months at the time, and picked it up. With a flourished hand wave, her compass arrow, initially pointing North, spun around until it was facing eastward, and the maps colorful lines faded to only show the quickest path to her destination. Annette praised her father for teaching her how to bewitch things before he died.

Annette was about to replace the wand, when the cats meowed in alarm to warn Dolores that her wand had been used by that "abominable creature".

In a frenzy, Annette threw the wand into her bag, opened the windows, leapt into the bushes from the first story window, and ran into the woods as quickly as she could. She heard a faint shriek of horror coming from the accursed pink manor. She looked over her shoulder, only to see a shadow of a toad-like woman darting around behind the off-white curtains. Annette turned and ran further into the woods, onward towards the Weasleys.

Once Annette was semi-sure that she could safely take a break, she looked at the compass and the map. She realized she was only a few yards out of the forest before she would be at a beach, that if she followed long enough, would take her to a train station that could very shortly take her to the pleasant little town the Weasleys resided in.

Though Dolores eventually apparated in front of her, and being the pleasant woman she is, demanded that she return the wand and recieve more than er due punishment for being such the "little hellion that is better off being raised by the unintelligent scum she was born from!"Annette saw an opprotunity and posed a deal with her; either she could return the wand once Dolores relinquished guardianship of her, or she would break the wand and face the social embarrassment of having to admit that she, previous headmaster of Hogwarts, couldn't even prevent one child from stealing and breaking her wand. Dolores quickly chose the choice that not only released her from being stuck with the rebellious brat, but saved her precious wand.

Dolores left Annette to fend for herself after that. No longer under the control of Umbridge, Annette quickly hopped with joy, finished her bread, put out the fire, and re-stuffed her backpack to leave. With a smile on her face, she faced the weather, ready for anything.

As one might expect, Hermione was rather surprised when a soaking wet eight year old came knocking at her doorstep, but Annette was welcomed with open arms. Though, Ron and Hermione thought it would be best that Annette explained why she had appeared so suddenly, Annette answered with a simple, "That hag didn't want me, and I wanted nothing to do with her, so I left."

Satisfied with an explanation, they didn't ask any more questions. Annette questioned why they didn't investigate further and they told her about how they knew of Umbridge's ways long before Annette was born, and were more than happy to take her in. Annette returned their favor of saying no more.

Ron lighted rapped on his daughter's door, which flung open.

Rose demanded "Is she here? Is she here?" her answer was a tackle hug from Annette. Laughing at the girls reunion, Ron took his wand out and asked the girls to step out for a moment. He looked poised to do a spell, but paused. He stepped out and shouted from the top of the stairs to his wife, "Hermione, what's the spell you used to make the kitchen bigger?"

Hermione gracefully walked up the staircase and bumped Ron out of the doorway, teasing him about the fact that the room might implode on him if he didn't watch himself, which he usually didn't. With a swish and flick of her wand, the average sized room grew into a double bed studio sized place, that didn't affect the structure of the house.

In awe, yet filled with excitement, Annette and Rose bombarded the room, jumping on their beds, and giggling and gasping at the design of the room. Hugo, curious of what had happened, poked his head out of his room next door and peered in. He smiled, recognizing Annette's smiling face, and joined the girls in exploring the new room. At last, after months of being neglected and punished for saying/doing something "wrong" or "intolerable" or for just plain existing, Annette felt at home again.

And with that, Annette Woods became a part of the Weasley family.


	3. A Trip to Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, minus Annette (my little OC). All rights go J.K. Rowling, that wonderful author we all know and love!:)

Years pasted and Annette became well acquainted with the Potter family, particularly James Potter, who was only a year older than her, but always kept her company. Albus in particular liked cooking and baking with Annette, and would insist that they try that new recipe, a pastime enjoyed by all. Lily, and Hugo all looked up to Annette, always demanding for her to retell her past experiences with "Dolores the-Evil-Troll Umbridge"

There was many times where the Weasleys would spend the night with the Potters and vice versa. Annette being a slight insomniac, due nightmares of Dolores punishing her or coming to retrieve her for whatever reason, would wonder around the house and in many case, would often find herself greeted by Mr. Harry Potter.

During many of her late-night wanderings, she'd end up talking to Harry for hours about the past, politics, and a variety of other things. Annette was fond of Harry's answers to things, as despite his being an adult, he completely understood what Annette was going through, and acted like a father figure when Ron couldn't, due to a certain lack of understanding.

When Annette first talked with Harry, it was about how thankful she was to be here, enjoying life with the Weasleys, versus being tortured into submission by Dolores. As time progressed, they became close friends, in a way similar to a student and a teacher. When Annette's eleventh birthday drew near, she began to ask Harry about Hogwarts.

Annette had been worried about going to Hogwarts; even though she won't have be alone, as Rose and Albus would also be there with her, but she was worried about being unprepared for what would come to her.

Harry explained that he couldn't give her a clear explanation of what it would be like, due his experience in school being drastically different from most of his other classmates, but simply told her that if anything was bothering her, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and himself are only a call away.

The end of summer surprised Annette, which led her to Diagon Alley again, but instead of shopping around, it was to get school supplies. Annette politely explained to Hermione that she would handle shopping for herself, as she earned a fair share of Gallons by doing various chores for Grandma Weasley, who appreciated Annette sharing her same spunky nature.

Annette was about to call it a day, with bags full of clothes and a few treats here and there, when she spotted the sweetest Tawny owl in the window of a pet shop. Annette, felt the remaining few coins in her palm shift slightly as she moved her fingers in question. She opened her palm, and discovered that she only had two Knuts and a Sickle left.

While she was questioning if she could go back and trade in some more expensive items for something cheaper, she heard a voice behind her.

"Father, can I have that Owl? The one in the cage on the left?"

"...I suppose."

Annette's heart nearly stopped when she realized that the voices were talking about her owl, and she was nearly in tears. She had only looked at the owl, but her heart was dead set on it. Knowing no number of exchanges could happen fast enough to save her owl from being purchased, she was left unsure of what to do, other than let her emotions swell inside of her. She looked away as she heard the shop door open, as to prevent tears, when she saw James jogging to meet her. He arrived to her with a smile, and then gave her a questioning expression as a tear escaped down her face. She quickly explained to him about the owl, he held up his finger, and he dug into his pant pockets. He pulled out three golden Gallons, and took her hand to lead her into the store.

A father and son, with painfully similar builds and platinum blonde hair, were arguing about whether or not the son should reconsider his choice. While they were distracted, James casually walked past them, glancing at different creatures on display. He arrived at the counter, dramatically slammed his 3 gallons down, and rather loudly proclaimed that he "will take that Tawny owl in the window!"

The father and son stopped arguing upon hearing the news that the owl the son had been demanding was purchased. The son moved passed his father, mouth open, obviously ready for a verbal battle, but stopped at the sight of Annette giggling with glee at the owl hooting quietly in the cage placed delicately in James' arms. The blonde boy's face grew red, as a slight smile played on his face, turned to his father and announced he would have to take the other owl, and tried to casually tried to hide his face, as not to be spotted with his beet-red face.

Annette was continually showering James with thanks, as the two exited the store, and was given the candy of his choice at a small sweets shop. James picked two chocolate frogs, and gave one to Annette, who only put into one of her bags, as she was too distracted by her new feathered friend's hooting to focus enough to eat something.

Eventually Ginny and Hermione sent their husbands to search for the two missing children from their party. Ron and Harry spotted the two poking at the owl, and dragged them into the Three Broomsticks to join everyone else. Hugo and Lily flocked to Annette, with questions about owl, while James sneaked off to tease Albus, a habit he developed when no one was paying enough attention to notice what he was doing. Hermione also kept questioning Annette about the responsibility of keeping an owl, and was repeatedly reassured that she could handle it.

Unfortunately, September rolled around and it was time to go off to school. Annette remembered seeing James off last year, and was fully prepared on how to get to platform 9 3/4, but now that it was her turn to get onto the train, she was truly scared. After passing through the wall, Annette quickly told her family she'd go save seats.

Annette had to fight her way through a sea of people before arriving at an empty room. Or sort of empty.

Annette had opened the door to what she had thought to be an empty room, only to find Victoire snogging with Teddy. Annette was shocked to find Teddy and Victoire, who each respectively acted as an older sibling toward her, in such an intimate moment. The moment didn't last much longer before James suddenly appeared next to Annette, with his jaw wide open.

"WHOA! So this is what you two have been up to!" James exclaimed. Annette had attempted to shut him up, but the damage was done. Victoire gave Teddy one last peck before scurrying off to find the rest of her friends on the train. Teddy gave James a manly hug, and greeted Annette with a hug and friendly peck on the cheek.

"You caught me! But it's nothing I ain't proud of." Teddy said with a grin "I came to see Victoire off, but I didn't know you guys were already goin' off to Hogwarts already. Man I'm starting to feel OLD..."

"But you only graduated two years ago, Teddy!" Annette reminded him, "And don't let Ron hear ya' say that, otherwise you'll get the speech."

Everyone slightly cringed at the thought of Ron's "I-may-_technically-_be-in-my-30s-but-I'm-still-young-enough-too...!" speech that needless to say, is a long, soul-sucking lecture that best be avoided. James quickly darted off to check in with the others, leaving Annette alone to talk with Teddy.

"So Teddy, I've been meaning to ask...what should I do if I happen to get into... ya' know..." Annette said, searching for her words as she spoke.

"Trouble?" Teddy finished with a coy smile on his face, paired with a raised eyebrow. The two were very well known for getting into sticky situations, especially when Uncle George gave them surprise presents to test for his shop.

"Yeah... You know that I'm not the best at talking to adults. Especially _angry_ adults." Annette professed.

"Knowing your past, I don't blame you. Just be sure to be friends with a few of the cool Professors, and they'll get you out of trouble. You probably should stick to being with Neville and Hagrid, since they both know you." Teddy explained with a smile.

The waves of people re-entering the train told Teddy it was time to go. He gave Annette another half-hug, and kiss on the head and darted out of the room. Annette realized she needed to put up her suitcase and say goodbye. After a few failed attempts of throwing her suitcase up, Annette gave up and stuck her head out the window.

She looked around and saw Ron and Hermione kissing Rose goodbye, and watched her get on the train. She waved to them and they jogged over, with Hugo tottering along behind them. Ron told her to lean down some more, and then was surprised with two kisses goodbye from the pair. Annette smiled and gave Hugo the best hug she could whilst hanging out side of the window on the Hogwarts Express.

After all the goodbyes were finished, Annette pulled herself back in, and then faced her suitcase yet again. She tried and tried, and almost succeeded, but failed due to falling over once the train started moving. She sighed and blew her shoulder-length ash-brown hair out of her face, only for it to return to its original place. Annette was about to admit defeat, and just sit next to her owl, when she heard an oh-so familiar voice call out to her.


	4. Off to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, minus Annette (my little OC). All rights go J.K. Rowling, that wonderful author we all know and love!:)

"Do you need help?"

Annette removed her hair from her face and recognized the blonde boy from before. She was happy to see that his face was only brushed with pink, rather than the violent shade of red from before.

"I do. Would you mind?" Annette replied in relief.

"Not at all." said the boy, a small smile on his face. He pulled out his wand and flicked it. The suitcase floated up and neatly placed itself on the overhead rack.

"Thank you so much, um... I'm sorry, what's your name?" Annette questioned politely

"Scorpius Malfoy. And you are?"

"Annette Ward. Nice to meet you." Annette replied.

The polite introductions were interrupted by the elderly witch with the candy cart, calling out for customers. With that, Annette had an idea.

"Hey,would you like to get something from the cart? My treat. Think of it as a thank you for helping me." Annette said. Scorpius followed her into the hallway, glancing at the cart. Annette pulled out some coins and faced Scorpius. "Pick whatever, okay?"

Scorpius looked over the selection before announcing his choice.

"A kiss." He proclaimed. Annette turned away and began to reach for the small bag of chocolates, only to suddenly feel lips on her cheek.

"Wha-"

"No, not there." Scorpius mumbled. Annette was suddenly caught in the arms of Scorpius, trapped. Everything was happening so quickly, that she didn't even have time to react. Scorpius removed one hand from her waist, using the other to pull her in closer, and then forced Annette's face to be aligned with his. His hand cupped under her chin, and he started to pull her face towards his. Annette tried to process what's about to happen, when suddenly she felt another arm loop around her and pull her away.

"Just what the hell do you think you were going to do?" hissed the familiar voice of James Potter. Annette turned and met eyes with Rose and Albus. Rose was panicking as much as Annette was, and Albus was just wide-eyed.

"Getting my reward. I helped her put away her suitcase, and she said I could have whatever I wanted, her treat." Scorpius said with a snake-like smirk on his face.

"I said anything from _the cart_!" Annette said, while pointing in frustration and confusion.

"Details, details. Now I know her name," Scorpius motioned to Annette, now free from James deadly arm cage. "But I don't know yours, Mr.I'll-be-the-knight-in-shining-armor."

"You don't need to know my name if I'm gonna punch your face in."James threatened.

"James, let's move on. He's not worth it...!" Rose pleaded.

"Oh, so it's James. Well, James, I'll make you a deal. Duel me tomorrow, and the loser will have to leave Annette alone. So if you win, she doesn't have to worry about me. If I win, then you cannot speak with her, especially if I'm with her."

"Wait, so am I just some priz-" Annette attempted to say.

"Deal." James agreed, sticking out his palm to finalize the deal.

All Annette, Rose, and Albus could do, was watch in awe as the two boys shook hands.


	5. Teddy and the Boys

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, minus Annette (my little OC). All rights go J.K. Rowling, that wonderful author we all know and love!:)

Scorpius retracted his hand and turned to walk away. He stopped mid turn, and swiveled to face Annette.

Annette had her guard up, and was extremely wary of the hand Scorpius extended to her. After glancing over her shoulder to see James giving a nod of slight approval, Annette cautiously placed her hand in Scorpius'. Her kissed her hand gently, and then looked up at Annette. In a matter of moments, Scorpius' lips moved from Annette's hand to her cheek.

James opened his mouth ready to begin another verbal fight, but was stopped by Rose rushing up to Annette. Rose forced her way through the two and pushed Annette back into the room. Scorpius gave a slight glance of disappointment, before turning to disappear towards the front of the train.

"Who does he think he is?" James fumed.

"Scorpius Malfoy, obviously. But I don't understand what significance that has. I've only really heard about the Malfoy family from Mum and Dad. I never knew..." Rose replied, with a slight sense of pondering on her face as she trailed off her sentence.

"Ha-ha, Rose. Very funny, but can we focus more on the fact that Annette is gonna get into some serious trouble if James doesn't win the duel." Albus said, concern coating his words.

"You say that as if I'm not going to win against a first year snot-nosed brat." James hissed in frustration.

"One, I'm still here. Two, he knows more advanced spells than I do. Three, I can handle myself James." Annette announced. The cabin went quiet and James stood up, as to say something, but stopped and sat down again. Annette turned to her owl, who she had named Harold, and lightly pet him through the cage.

After waiting unsuccessfully for a conversation to break the ice, Annette decided to call Teddy.

"I'm gonna step out for a second to ring Teddy." Annette said. Annette pulled her mobile from her pocket and slid the door open. As she turned to close the door, James was staring at her in the doorway.

"I'll be a cold day in hell if I let you come out here alone. I'll be here." James pointed to the opposite end of the cart. He closed the door and stationed himself against the wall. Annette moved away from James, obviously upset of the apparent loss of faith in her ability to defend herself against one boy.

Annette sighed and sat on the floor, her head against the wall opposite of the cabin doors. She looked at her simple mobile and dialed Teddy. The phone rang a few times before hearing the familiar voice of Teddy.

"'Ello? Teddy here."

"Teddy, it's Annette. You just missed some... interesting stuff." Annette said.

"Define interesting, Ann." Teddy spoke, concern in his tone.

"Scorpius Malfoy helped me move my luggage, and then he tried to kiss me as his reward for helping me. And then James came and stopped him, and then there was fighting and..." Annette tried to stay calm, but as the words rolled off her tongue, she was suddenly feeling the need to rub her temples.

"Okay, just breathe Ann, you need to breathe. Then ya' start talkin' again." Teddy spoke slowly, attempting to keep Annette from losing it.

"Then they made a deal that is essentially makes me the prize in a wizarding duel, which-" Annette attempted to finish her sentence, but was interrupted by an infuriated Teddy.

"WHAT? Annette, when did this happen? How long ago did this happen?" Teddy's words almost blurred together due to the speed of his words.

"About 5 minutes or so after the train left the station." Annette cautiously said.

"Just wait. I'll be there in a few seconds." Teddy said

"What do you mean you'll be-" Annette's question was quickly answered by Teddy swinging open the door of one of the cabins. There was only a loud gasp from the cabin's inhabitants. Teddy charged towards Annette and hugged her. The surprising, touching moment ended once James spoke up.

"Teddy?" James exclaimed. Teddy slowly turned to James and charged at him. Teddy slammed James against the wall adjacent to the doors. Annette was starting to panic as Teddy brutally held an unresponsive James above the ground.

"What the hell was going through your mind when you made your little deal?" Teddy hissed menacingly. "Do I need to remind you of ours?"

Teddy whispered the last sentence as an attempt to hide something from Annette, but her ears perked at the words. She said nothing, though. Annette was more concerned about Teddy's temper getting to him and that he would end up sending James flying out one of the windows.

"Teddy, it was to stop him from getting her..." James struggled to speak against Teddy's grip. "He said he'd leave her alone if I won... it was the best option I could see."

Annette felt furious upon hearing these words. Her angry burst through her in a giant explosion.

"So I'm just some prize? Am I suppose to swoon over the winner and ditch the loser? Just WHAT am I to you? You too Teddy!"

The two boys grew silent. Teddy let James sink back to the ground, and the two looked at each other before turning to Annette.

"My girl. You are my little girl." Teddy said. His tone didn't clarify what he meant by what he said.

"You're my best friend." James said quietly. Annette, frustrated by their vague answers, opened the door and called to Rose.

"Hey, Rose, let's go get something to eat." Annette said. Rose looked at Albus and slid something into his hand. Annette raised an eyebrow and Rose mouthed "I'll explain later". The two girls turned to leave, but Annette stopped once she realized Teddy and James were planning to follow.

"This is girl talk. You two need to go talk to Albus; he's still confused what all is happening." Rose said. Teddy and James reluctantly complied, sliding open the door as the girls started to move towards the food cart.

Annette and Rose arrived at a table towards the front of the train and settled themselves, preparing for a long, long conversation. Annette sighed as she looked up at Rose.

"Rose, how did it turn out like this? When did I become such a coveted prize? I'm not that pretty, and I'm kind of...boring, so why me?" Annette said, attempting not to sound like she's whining.

"Annette, you're beautiful and only you seem to not see it, and you're extremely entertaining, not boring. In all truth, I'm slightly jealous of the attention boys give you..." Rose trailed off in thought, but continued before Annette could contradict her. "Oh, I have an idea. You remember when I gave Al something?"

"Yeah, what was that?" Annette questioned.

"It was a little gift from Uncle George that lets you... listen in on conversations. I gave it to Albus so we wouldn't have to worry about something happening and they find out what we're up to." Rose said, a giggle slowly invading her speech.

"How sneaky of you Rose! I've trained you well." Annette said, smirking at her mischievous friend.

"You have indeed! Now all you have to do is put these headphones into your ear..." Rose said while offering the ear piece to Annette. Annette took it and lightly placing it into her ear and was soon started hearing familiar voices.

"So wait, you guys made a deal over Annette? Teddy, I thought you were into Victoire." Albus' voice rang through Annette's ear in perfect clarity.

"I am, but the deal isn't to fall in love with Annette, but to protect her. There is a lot about herself she doesn't know, that she doesn't need to know." Teddy said sternly.

"Like her past,you mean?" Albus innocently pondered.

"Yes." Teddy's serious tone was starting to worry Annette who looked up to see a very shocked Rose, who's expression hinted she wasn't surprised by what they were talking about, but surprised they are talking about it. Suddenly the voices started to blur and a buzzing noise entered the headphones.

"Um...I think that there are some problems with the reception; we must be passing through a dead zone. Let's just go back." Rose's words were shaky. Annette almost questioned her about it, but something inside her decided against it. She knew that if there was something that her friends were keeping from her, there probably was good reason to why they said nothing.

"Let's eat something first. That's what we came down here for, right?" Annette said a playful smile on her face. Rose raised an eyebrow at Annette's lack of questioning, but shook it off. The girls ordered something big, and decided to invite the boys to come eat before changing into their robes.

Despite her faith in her friends, something about the conversation from earlier was bothering her. Annette tried to ignore it, but it was almost like her entire being was dying to know about the past that isn't supposed to be known. She tried to distract herself from the nagging by continually picking at her biscuit and casually sipping her tea. Even with her constant distractions occupying her hands, her mind kept wondering.

Annette turned and questioned why Teddy was still on the train, but not as much as why Victoire hadn't come to see him again. Annette was sure she must have seen him on his way up there. He also texted her on his mobile, so the questions kept piling up.

As for why everyone was avoiding the fact that something was quite obviously up, Annette had no idea, but wasn't about to start another conflict. She already had too much on her plate without getting wrapped up in some mysterious things from her past. To say the least, Annette knew this was going to be an interesting year at Hogwarts.


	6. Invasion of Privacy

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, minus Annette (my little OC). All rights go J.K. Rowling, that wonderful author we all know and love!:)

Annette twisted her hair as she stared at her tea. Now reduced to a cold cloudy drink, she began to question who her friends really were. She glanced at the people surrounding her. Teddy, James, and Rose seemed to be hiding something from Annette, but it appeared that Albus was equally unaware about the secret deal that took place years ago. Only thing was, he actually _knew_ the coveted secret, and observing her friends peculiar behavior, Annette took a guess that she wasn't gonna be to told anytime soon.

Annette moved her attention to the window, which revealed that it was getting closer to the evening. Annette sighed and announced that she was going to change into her robes, and that no one should follow. In all truth, it was to hide from the ever present nagging feeling that grew stronger the most time she spent around her secretive friends.

Annette arrived back at the cabin, and began to reach for her suitcase. She managed to grab the robes from the top of her suitcase, and began to slide the robe on over her clothes. She was almost finished, until a button on the neck of robe refused to open. Annette realized that she'd have to change shirts, from her cozy turtleneck sweater, to a simple t-shirt. After finally retrieving a spare t-shirt, Annette began to peel off her green cotton sweater. Just as Annette had the t-shirt over her head she heard the door to the cabin open.

"Hey, Potter—"

The voice of Scorpius was quickly silenced by the sight of Annette struggling to put her shirt on, her flower print bra exposed for all to see. Annette was struggling to find the collar of the shirt, cursing herself about not being able to find "the bloody hole!"

Once Annette successfully pulled the t-shirt on, she promptly told Scorpius, "You have TERRIBLE timing. Absolutely terrible."

Scorpius' face was slowly getting colored red. His faced was turned so he wasn't looking at Annette. He quietly whispered, "I…like the print. It's cute.."

Upon hearing these words, Annette no longer was concerned why the boy had burst into the cabin so unexpectedly, she was just embarrassed.

"OUT! GET OUT NOW!" Annette screamed at Scorpius. Not being a fool, Scorpius jetted out of the cabin, face now tomato red as he sprinted down the hallway. Annette huffed in anger, and turned back to the robes that had been abandoned on the floor of the cabin. She quickly picked them up and threw them on, and once over her head, the button on the neck unclasped and hung openly. Annette growled in frustration at the button and stomped out of the cabin, heading back to the group.

Annette returned to her friends holding light, fun conversation. Annette simply sat down next to Teddy, who was now talking about his condition.

"When the moon is full, I have to turn into a wolf, but it's like I'm forced into being an animagus. It's not all that bad, just really inconvenient." Teddy said, with a laugh sneaking into his words.

The rest of the ride was pleasant, and Annette, Rose, and Albus parted from Teddy and James. The trio all climbed into a boat, one of the last ones to leave. As they climbed into the boat, they noticed a slightly pink Scorpius hanging around behind them. They glanced at each other and silently agreed that they'd throw him overboard if he tried anything funny, despite Annette's obvious want to throw him even if he didn't try anything.

The boat ride was short, but Annette swears that there was a tentacle pushing them along, because "there is no way the boat could go that fast, even if it was bewitched!" Scorpius had kept his distance from Annette's glare, but each time he glanced in Annette's direction, his face would return to a violent shade of red. When they arrived at the docks, Hagrid filled the first years in what was about to happen. Annette noticed Albus and Rose tense up, so she grabbed both their hands and squeezed to reassure that it was going to be alright. The trio exchanged nervous smiles as Hagrid lead them to the Great Hall.

As all of the students filed in, Rose waved to James, who was stationed at the Gryffindor table. Teddy was speaking with Headmaster McGonagall, obviously quite pleased as he pulled up a seat at the end of the Professors table. Teddy enthusiastically waved to all of the first years as they lined up in front of the sorting hat. Neville nodded to them as he stood with the scroll with all of the students names. Annette suddenly was having difficulty as the names were called. Scorpius had the hat on his head for a long, extended time, as the Sorting Hat obviously debated over two houses before promptly announcing "Slytherin!" Annette didn't pay much close attention to most of the other children until "Albus Potter" was called. She watched as Albus slowly walked up to the sorting hat and watched Neville place it upon his head. Albus closed his eyes and whispered something to the hat. The hat returned the favor and then straightened himself, and announced "Gryffindor". Annette watched as relief flooded Albus' face, and he looked at Annette and Rose as he walked to the cheering table that welcomed his happily. James was filled with pride, as Albus wormed his way next to him.

Annette watched as the line moved her closer and closer to the hat, a thought that terrified her. Questions of doubt about being in the amazing House known as Gryffindor. Finally, Annette looked up at Neville, fear rippling through her face. Neville, smiled as he announced her name, and once she finally sat down, Neville whispered to her "Don't panic. The Sorting Hat will put you exactly where we need to be."

Annette tried to breathe, but once she felt the eyes of every student she couldn't help but want be invisible. She glanced over at Teddy, who gave her a blatant thumbs-up in approval. Annette took a deep breath as the Hat was lightly placed on her head. She suddenly heard a whisper in her ear.

"You are… inquisitive. A true intellectual. But there's something burning inside you… I believe that your best placement would be in…" The Hat trailed off, much to Annette's horror. She didn't hear what House he said. She tried to whisper back to the hat, but the hat did keep her house secret for long.

"Gryffindor!"

Annette almost flew off the seat and dived for the table. She stumbled on her way to the table and was caught by James standing up to hug her. Annette felt at peace as she sat down, surrounded by her new family, the Gryffindors.


End file.
